Steering box

[JPVortex]

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Hey, so the steering box on my 94 K1500 with 232k on the odo is pretty gnarly lol.

I’m really really not trying to spend $500 on a redhead unit or borgeson.

So question is, has anyone had any experience with Lares steering boxes? I’m looking at one on summit, it’s NEW not remanufactured which is nice. I put a picture of it.

Looking for something to get rid of the slop, right now I can grab my steering shaft(rag joint deleted, XJ shaft swap) and twist it, and I can see the input shaft on the steering box moving a ton with free play.

Let me know what you guys think, thank you!

 

[Caman96]

There was just a recent thread on steering boxes and a guy mentioned he’s on his 2nd Lares, the first failed quickly and now his 2nd is leaking.

 

[Chris_cox]

I made the mistake and bought one of these. It was supposed to have warranty and the whole bit. I flushed my system with clean fluid and installed the steering box. Test drive wasn’t a good experience, steered good one way but was jumpy the other way. I contacted Lares and they were not helpful at all. Offered no repair ideas and nothing in the way of warranty. I replaced it with a good used OEM box. The lares one is still in my garage acting as a paper weight.

I realize mechanical things do wear out and break down but the way they handled this one was poor. Your money will be better spent elsewhere. Nothing against Summit as they are a great retailer in my opinion.

 

[JPVortex]

I made the mistake and bought one of these. It was supposed to have warranty and the whole bit. I flushed my system with clean fluid and installed the steering box. Test drive wasn’t a good experience, steered good one way but was jumpy the other way. I contacted Lares and they were not helpful at all. Offered no repair ideas and nothing in the way of warranty. I replaced it with a good used OEM box. The lares one is still in my garage acting as a paper weight.

I realize mechanical things do wear out and break down but the way they handled this one was poor. Your money will be better spent elsewhere. Nothing against Summit as they are a great retailer in my opinion.

Did you buy one of the new ones or a remanufactured one? They sell both.

How is Bluetop these days? Are they still good?

 

[Caman96]

Just seems like endless threads on these steering boxes with no clear solution. There’s at least as many pro’s as con’s on any of them. I’d recommend the Borgeson 800134, good name, new part, but I did recommend it to @fancyTBI and so far he’s not happy with it.

 

[scott2093]

steered good one way but was jumpy the other way

jumpy could have been a bit of air in the power steering pump/system.. pretty easy to get ...

 

[JPVortex]

Just seems like endless threads on these steering boxes with no clear solution. There’s at least as many pro’s as con’s on any of them. I’d recommend the Borgeson 800134, good name, new part, but I did recommend it to @fancyTBI and so far he’s not happy with it.

Was looking at the Borgeson myself, unfortunately I don’t think it’d work out for my truck.

Seems like they make a quick ratio box only for a 94, but my truck is lifted 4 inches. Not a good combination.

 

[Caman96]

Was looking at the Borgeson myself, unfortunately I don’t think it’d work out for my truck.

Seems like they make a quick ratio box only for a 94, but my truck is lifted 4 inches. Not a good combination.

There’s these guys too. Expensive, oh yeah, but if you’re spending $400+ on one and it still suks, then I guess you have to spend more. Anyway, another option:

Turn One - Performance Power Steering

Turn One manufactures high performance power steering components for street and race vehicles. Drive confidently with performance products!

turnonesteering.com

 

[JDGMC]

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Hey, so the steering box on my 94 K1500 with 232k on the odo is pretty gnarly lol.

I’m really really not trying to spend $500 on a redhead unit or borgeson.

So question is, has anyone had any experience with Lares steering boxes? I’m looking at one on summit, it’s NEW not remanufactured which is nice. I put a picture of it.

Looking for something to get rid of the slop, right now I can grab my steering shaft(rag joint deleted, XJ shaft swap) and twist it, and I can see the input shaft on the steering box moving a ton with free play.

Let me know what you guys think, thank you!

Have you considered sending your box out to be rebuilt? Depending on what’s worn (hard parts, bore, or bearings), it may be a viable option. If you select a place that also sells new boxes you can always purchase a new box if they tell you the old one is toast + they already have the core. Prices are usually 400-600 depending on what needs to be replaced. I have three trucks and all had tired steering gears. I dismantled each box to find only one was salvageable (bearings). Purchased two RedHead steering gears and a bearing seal kit for one box. I have the stock suspension of my trucks. Good luck.

 

[CumminsFever]

Borgeson Quick-ratio on stock ride height is what I've got. A year in and no regrets. I'd recommend it.